i dont mean breather in the literal sense. i mean it's not the worst thing in the world for a rookie to have a reduced role every now and then. i love hawk, think he should be playing, and think he will be in the rotation for their eventual playin/playoff series. but this is a professional team with playoff aspirations, not the new orleans jordan hawkins showcase. you can't design every single game's rotations around your 14th overall pick.
they are better (by a lot) when he's off the court:
Jordan Hawkins 2023-24 On Off Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
he's gonna get plenty of chances. this is not the end of the world. this team is in a win-now era because zion is a ticking time bomb. im sure they'll push some chips in to consolidate at some point, which will open up more minutes for hawk. but right now this is nothing.